About the IFM Curriculum
The Interdisciplinary Foundations of Medicine curriculum allows first-year students to immediately begin
confronting clinical issues. Clinical symptoms, symptom groups and cases provide the framework for an
interdisciplinary presentation of curriculum content. Using symptom-based modules of varying length,
basic science and clinical faculty present information from the biomedical, psychosocial and clinical
sciences, including clinical skills, in a lecture-based and hands-on format.
Each basic science discipline teaches the material needed to meet its overall learning objectives in an
order of presentation that best facilitates a student's grasp of concept and content. Discipline-specific and
integrated lectures, labs, small-group sessions with both basic science professors and clinicians, and
community-based clinical experiences are an integral part of the curriculum.